


Human Is An Emotion

by getthatbread



Series: Connor x Reader (character insert) [1]
Category: Detroit: Become Human (Video Game)
Genre: Character Death, Connor Deserves Happiness, Deviant Connor (Detroit: Become Human), Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, F/M, Major Character Injury, Partners in Crime, Protective Connor (Detroit: Become Human)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-29
Updated: 2021-02-01
Packaged: 2021-03-15 05:15:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 4
Words: 7,218
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29058852
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/getthatbread/pseuds/getthatbread
Summary: Connor's failed attempt to save the little girl six months ago raised suspicions of the 'perfect' detective android at Cyberlife.  Having been assigned a new case with a human partner, Cyberlife assigns a second android to the job as well, to keep Connor in line.  Evie, the only RA800 detective prototype, is the android to sent to work alongside Connor, despite Evie being an extremely valuable design.  The RA800 seems to test the limits of what robotic life can do, but there's only a matter of time before Cyberlife catches on.
Series: Connor x Reader (character insert) [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2131911
Kudos: 2





	1. I'm Evie, The Android Also Sent By Cyberlife

Synthetic skin slides against metal, like a snake zipping back on its old skin. Robotic eyelids open and blink a couple of times, readjusting and analyzing the world I wake up in as my hearing slowly fades white noise into the sharp clicking of the machine beside me. The machine _inside_ me whirls to life as I am once again summoned, perhaps for a test?

>SYSTEM INITIALIZING...<

>PROCESSING<

>ALL SYSTEMS IN ORDER< __ >PREPARED FOR ACTION<

"All systems are running fine," I speak aloud, my voice going from metallic to smooth and soothing in a matter of seconds. Information loads into my database. The words "Mission Assigned: Detroit Police Department" spell themselves out in my line of vision.

"Good evening, Evie. As you know, you have been assigned your first case in the Detroit Police Department alongside a Connor RK800 and a human partner. You are to be tested as well as keep the Connor android in check. If you are caught failing your mission or malfunctioning on the job, your prototype is to be wiped completely and restarted, understood?" A man in a grey coat and white slacks stands in front of me, two inches shorter than me, causing me to tilt my head downwards. A quick memory search tells me his name is David Parsley. His foot taps the floor in an unsteady rhythm, most likely meaning he did not have his lunchtime coffee.

"Yes, sir. If I understand correctly, this means that a successful mission will result in more prototypes like me?"

"Yes, though we might adjust some things." One of his hands fumbles with the edge of his jacket while the other reaches for the pen sitting behind his right ear. "Like height."

"Noted, sir."

____________

I study the life that lies beyond the thick protective glass of the autonomous vehicle. A young child stares at me in curiosity from their place on a bench beside the road, transparent tablet in hand, let ignored for the second we make eye contact. Eyes connecting appears to mean a lot to humans when searching for an emotional connection. My design is meant to be as human-like as possible, so this is critical information to take in. The window reflects the yellow light of my LED before it returns to blue.

"You have reached your destination," the feminine auto-machine voice says. The vehicle doors glide open and I step out onto the concrete in front of the entrance to the police department.

I tune into the noise around me, listening to snippets of conversations.

"-she's in the hospital again-"  
"-droid ran off. Fuckin' machines-"  
"-called into work today, something about the stock market-"

My heels click as I walk up the steps and into the department, a YK500 holding the door open for me. The building smells of coffee beans and printer paper, fitting right along with the monochromic blue and gray aesthetic of the workplace.

"Evie RA800, right this way," greets a friendly assistant android who holds a clipboard. I follow along while she describes the human partner I will have to work with. "People in the office say he's gruff and hard to get to know, but you're specially designed to interact with all human behavior, so you should do decently. Lieutenant Hank Anderson graduated top of his class as Valedictorian."

He must be a brilliant cop then.

The assistant stops by a small staircase that leads up to a glass room where two men appear to be having a very intense argument. "You may go inside, though I advise that you stay quiet." She gives me a small nod before stepping away.

As carefully as I can, I open the glass door and take my place inside, staying in a corner. However, I do not go unnoticed to who- from what a quick scan tells me- is Lieutenant Anderson.

"And who the hell is this? Fowler! This is another android!" Hank's hands grip the chair I presume he's meant to be seated in. His face is slightly red. Jefferey Fowler- the man whom he's addressing- only seems annoyed. My program already begins running through ways to destress this situation. This is when I take note that the other android is not here.

>HANK: TENSE<

"Cyberlife sent over this second android to help with the investigation as well as the first one. This one is a state-of-the-art one-and-only prototype. Both androids will act as your partners," states Fowler, pointing a finger in my direction as if to say 'look at this special piece of metal we got you'.

Hank swings his head back around to look at me and then at Fowler. I can see his rage levels rise quickly. "No fuckin' way! I don't need two partners, and certainly not two of those plastic pricks!" Now Hank is the one pointing a finger. I supposed he does this action to try and further his point.

"Hank, you are seriously starting to piss me off! You are a police Lieutenant. You are supposed to do what I say and shut your goddamn mouth!" From the way Fowler leans to the edge of his seat, I can tell his anger containment skills are on the brink of breaking. I open my mouth to say something, but I am quickly interrupted by the Lieutenant's sharp words.

"You know what my goddamn mouth has to say to you?"

"Okay, okay. I'm going to pretend I didn't hear that," breathes Fowler, rubbing a hand over his face.

I take advantage of this moment of peace. "May I ask where the other Android is? The RK800?"

"I-I don't know," Fowler stumbles over his words, just now remembering that I am also in this room with them. "Go look for the Connor Android out in the office. I need to continue this conversation privately."

"Yes, sir, of course," I answer politely before seeing myself out. I look around the office and my hyperactive hearing picks up irregular noise coming from the breakroom. I walk down the middle of the desks and through the doorway, an even stronger scent of coffee inside this room.

"When a human gives you an order, you OBEY. Got it?" A masculine voice says. The voice belongs to Gavin Reed, according to my records. I observe the scene to see an officer seated at the table whilst Reed stands bove the Connor Android, who is knelt on the floor.

When there is conflict, I am meant to step in. "Excuse me, is there an issue here?" My voice is a velvety tone, used when trying to de-escalate situations.

"Another plastic freak? Eh, at least this one has a nice ass." He whistles, looking me up and down. I do not understand his actions, so I continue.

"I ask to you calmly step away from Cyberlife property and return to casual business," I say, straightening up. Reed's face contorts into a snarl and he bends back down to flick the RK800's LED light.

"Stay outta my way. Next time, you won't get off so easy." Detective Reed stands up and shoots me an unpleasant gesture involving a finger before walking out with the other officer dressed in uniform.

The RK800 stands up and fixes his jacket and adjusts his tie. "Hello. I am Connor, the android sent by Cyberlife." He extends his hand out for me to take it, and I do.

"I'm Evie. the Android also sent by Cyberlife. It is nice to meet you, partner."

>CONNOR: PARTNER<


	2. Plastic Prick

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Evie faces difficulty with her first case partners as she attempts to do her mission successfully. Hank Anderson proves to be difficult by turning every android subject into conflict. There must be some sort of deep-rooted trauma in Anderson's past dealing with androids, but she will have to uncover that later. The RK800 Connor android appears to be very soft and sympathetic for a detective android, so Evie will have to the 'Bad Cop' position herself.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A bit of a longer chapter this time. :)

"Lieutenant Anderson and Captain Fowler told me to look for you and bring you to Anderson's desk once he and Fowler are finished with their discussion." I study the frame of the Connor android. Perfectly imperfect dark brown parted hair and the contrasted fair skin gives him such a human-like look. And perhaps it is the glossy coating Cyberlife gives to their human android eyes or the light reflected from the office fluorescent's, but the Connor android's Chesnut eyes have such determination and kindness in them.

I wonder if my design has the same effect on humans when they look at me.

"But in the meantime, please transfer the information you gathered from your first case with Anderson," I ask, taking a step forward so that the RK800 can reach me.

He brings his hand up and it meets my shoulder, instantly filling my vision with white light as a memory upload occurs, making me aware of the events from the first case scene.

Carlos Ortiz, stabbed to death by his own HK400 android in his own house with his own knife. Twenty-eight stab wounds found on the victim's body and a religious offering recovered from the bathroom, surrounded by obsessive writings of the letters and number 'RA9' over and over again. Traces of Red Ice found in the small house on the floor. The HK400 was found in the attic, hiding and in shock, turned deviant. The deviant android was brought to the station for interrogation. After the Connor model got more case information out of the panicked android, self-destruct was initiated and the machine killed itself. The body was removed from the scene and stored in the case files room.

The RK800 let go of my shoulder and the flashing scenes stopped, now permanently stored in my own memory space. "Thank you for your cooperation," I tell him. "Now, come with me."

Connor nods and follows me back through the maze of cubicles to Anderson's space. Seeing as the Lieutenant is not back yet, I take this chance to scan his working area for possible personal touches. His chair has long dog hairs on it that belong to a Saint Bernard. His desk is a cluttery mess of papers, books, files, CD's, sticky notes, and more. I imagine, from what I know of Hank Anderson, that is what his brain would look like as well. A top stack of important-looking papers is a baseball hat that looks too small for a grown man's head.

_Does Hank have children?_

My eyes move to read the anti-android stickers scattered all over the board next to Anderson's computer. They read random phrases like 'human life is dying to intelligence' and 'deactivate all droids'. I shift uncomfortably after reading that second one. Next to the android stickers is a group picture of his college department training class.

Propped up by my hand is headphones that are playing an interesting type of music. It seems angry, which is perfect for Hank's personality. I don't bother listening to the music because I know I am unable to feel emotions from something such as music. I read the band name from the device it plays from; 'Knights of The Black Death'. How morbid.

Connor reaches across me to listen and I tilt my head curiously. _Why listen if it means nothing to us?_

The RK800 shrugs- such a human gesture that it catches me a bit off guard.

I hear heavy footsteps behind us so I quickly turn around to watch Lieutenant Anderson take a seat at his desk with a 'hrmph'. He doesn't greet us or do any motion to make us feel a bit more welcome, but his silence says enough about how he feels with his two new 'plastic prick' partners.

"I get the impression that our presence causes you some... inconvenience, Lieutenant," Connor speaks up, straightening his tie. "I'd like you to know I'm very sorry about that." I can tell the detective android beside me is going for a calm, sympathetic approach in hopes of forcing Hank Anderson to open up. My programming tells me to be a bit more strict and lay down the truth; Lieutenant's dislike of androids cannot get in the way of _my_ case.

"Lieutenant-"

"In any case, I'd like you to know I'm very happy to be working with you," Connor cuts me off, almost as if he knew I was growing impatient. "I'm sure we'll all make a great team." He's lying, obviously. From the way our relationships, as a whole, started out, my systems tell me that there is now only 40% of us getting Anderson to open up.

>HANK: PARTNER<

There's a moment of silence while the Lieutenant appears to be contemplating something.

"I'm Evie, the second android sent by Cyberlife," I introduce.

Hank only replies with a "hm" sound, meaning he heard me but does not wish to actually use his words. This is inconvenient.

"Now that we're partners, it'd be great to get to know each other better," Connor persists. I notice a coin being tossed between his hands as a sort of trick. He rolls it between his forefinger and thumb before continuing to toss it around in his hands, mirroring a learned nervous habit.

"Is there a desk we could use?" I cut to the chase.

"Those two aren't taken." Finally, Hank answers and looks at the two desks in front of him that are vacant, the only thing on them is a computer.

We both take our seats and I open up the database files the computer has ready for me. Connor, however, does not do the same. Instead, I see him staring intently at the Lieutenant in the corner of my eye, preparing himself to speak.

"You have a dog, right?"

"How do you know that?" Hank's eyes shoot up quickly to give Connor a side-eye before focusing back on the computer in front of him.

"The dog hairs on your chair." Connor looks proud that he is able to share some of his scanned knowledge with our partner. "I like dogs." The corners of Connor's mouth turn up in the slightest. Hank is trying extremely hard not to look away from his work. "What's your dog's name?"

"What's it to ya?" Now Hank looks up, put off by Connor's locked-in stare. He gives in and answers Connor's question. "Sumo. I call him Sumo."

"Do you listen to 'Knights of The Black Death'? I really like that music. It's... full of... energy."

Part of my system wants me to tune them out so I can go through and absorb all of the filed information. The human interaction part of my system, however, wants to listen and gain as much personal information on Hank Anderson as I can.

"You listen to heavy metal?"

"Well..." The RK800 falters for a moment, not prepared for this question. "I don't really _listen_ to music as such, but I'd like to."

Hank moves in his chair, satisfied with the android's answer. Maybe now he's in a pleasant enough mood for me to ask more important questions.

"Have you known Captain Fowler for long?"

"Yeah." Hank shakes his head, causing his gray hair to sway. "Too long," he chuckles.

"I was wondering; do you always arrive at the office late? I've heard from others that your usual timing is around an hour later than what you're expected." It's a simple question, really. I just want to know what kind of human I will be dealing with.

Hank tenses. I must've struck a nerve with him. "I arrive when I arrive. Stop bustin' my balls, okay?" Just like that, he's back to his irritated tone. I'm beginning to think that's just his default mood.

I feel Connor's eyes on me as if he wasn't probing Anderson a few seconds before. I turn my attention back to the terminal on my desk and sort through the files; missing android, a dead victim of an android, aggressive android, missing android, etc. I stop on the last and newest file.

 **Case Reference:** Aggression  
**Victim:** Todd Williams  
**Case Assigned To:** LT Anderson  
**Case Status:** Open  
**Involving Android:** Yes  
**The Plaintiff claims he was violently attacked by his domestic android, an AX400 model. The android had just returned from being repaired the previous day and had shown signs of aggression in the past.**

"Two-hundred-and-forty-three files. The first one dates back 9 months. It all started in Detroit and quickly spread across the country." I pause and see that I have the attention of both partners. "An AX400 assaulted a man last night. That could be a good starting point for our investigation." When Hank doesn't say anything, I stand up and make my way over to the front of his desk.

"I understand you're facing _personal_ issues, Lieutenant, but you need to move past them. And-"

"Hey! Don't talk to me like you know me." His finger is pointing at me just like it was pointing at Captain Fowler back in the glass office. "I'm not your friend-" I do not remember asking to be friends with the Lieutenant. "-and I don't need your advice, okay?"

Once again, the robotic and human interaction parts of my brain battle over a decision. I need to get started on this case, but I've clearly overstepped a line with Lieutenant Anderson here. The robotic part of me wins.

>SOFTWARE INSTABILITY: STABLE /\<

I place both hands on his desk and lean down near his face. Connor watches from his desk, LED light flaring red for a millisecond. "I've been assigned this mission, Lieutenant. I didn't come here to wait until _you_ feel like working."

Before I can calculate his actions, Lieutenant Anderson grabs the front of my jacket and shoves me against the wall. My LED light is fully red and then flickers to yellow. Connor stands up, coin now in his fist. "Listen, asshole. If it was up to me, I'd throw the lot of you in the dumpster, and set a match to it. So, STOP pissing me off." I remain still and keep my eye contact with him, instilling that he won't get angrier. "Or things are going to get nasty."

>HANK: TENSE \/<

"Lieutenant."

I look behind Hank and a scan tells me the person who's interrupted is Officer Chris. I feel thankful for the human, though I could've de-escalated the situation myself.

"I have some information on the AX400 that assaulted a guy last night." Officer Chris looks bored as if something like this has happened before. "It's been seen in the Ravendale District."

Hank lets go of my jacket collar. My expression remained in a state of calm the whole time and stress levels did not rise, which is what is expected of me. "I'm on it," Hank growls.

Lieutenant Anderson leaves with Officer Chris while Connor and I stand strictly in place. I make eye contact with Connor. "Standing up caused his stress levels to rise. Do not try and stop the situation yourself next time," I sternly tell Connor. He nods like a puppy being trained how to sit. I may be the newer prototype, but I am aware of my mission at all times.

Before I leave to walk after Hank and Chris, Connor says, "I could say the same for you, Detective."


	3. Software Instability

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hank, Connor, and Evie get a lead on a runaway AX400 after a report from Todd Williams. Evie is put to the test: will she follow orders or does she value her mission more? Does Connor value the mission or orders more?

"They took the first bus that came along, and stayed at the end of the line." I listen attentively to Connor as he repeats out loud what we both already know to Lieutenant Anderson. Currently standing in the raining downtown district of Ravendale, a police car stationed at every corner, there's an ongoing hunt for the AX400 android named Kara. "Its decision wasn't planned- it was driven by fear."

I turn in a circle, my hearing still tuned in to their conversation, but now I am able to map out the section of the city in front of me. Down the street, to my left, there is a dry cleaner and to the right of me, there is a market store. Both are possible places where the AX400 could have gotten different clothing or supplies. A quick scan tells me there are three places the deviant would think to stay in front of me; the abandoned parking lot, the old house, or the hotel.

"Androids don't feel fear," Hank says, matter-of-factly.

"Deviants do," I respond in place of Connor. "They get overwhelmed by newfound emotions and make irrational decisions. It's a coding defect." To the best of my understanding, deviants perceive these programming flaws as human emotions. Although I have not felt deviancy, I can almost assure that the thing's they 'feel' aren't actually real or human at all.

Hank nods his head, probably trying to wrap his mind around the complexity of a robot 'feeling' things. "Alright, well that still doesn't tell us where it went."

"It didn't have a plan... and it had nowhere to go." Connor turns to scan the area too, LED turning yellow.

"It most likely did not travel past this area. The bus stops down there," I point to a bench across the street with a transparent covering. "At around 9 pm. If the deviant was smart, it most likely took clothing from the dry cleaners, money from the market shop, and lied its way into a room the hotel. Nonetheless, this is a _deviant_ we're talking about. If the AX400 was able to feel guilt, there's a chance they ended up staying the night in either the old house or the abandoned parking lot."

Connor dips his head, agreeing with me. "I advise that we check one of the latter options. My calculations suggest a 2.5% more likely chance of the Kara android staying in the old house, due to its overhead protection."

"Maybe." Hank crosses his arms in front of his chest, staying underneath the shelter of the building so he doesn't get wet.

_______

A couple of minutes later, Connor, Hank, and I stand outside of the fence as an officer finishes opening up the gate.

Connor and I make our way to the front door of the moldy house without hesitation. Hank, begrudgingly, comes to stand behind us, ready to jump into action.

The house appears to be maybe 50 years old at the least, though my estimate may be off because the burn marks on the wood suggest a fire sparked up and aged the house a few decades. Grass and weeds overgrow the wrap-around porch and there are a few mushrooms here and there. Still, the shack is in stable shape for having survived so much.

I knock on the door twice as a warning before I make my presence known. "Anybody home?" Everything is still. I look to Connor.

"There's blue blood on the fence. I know another android was here," states Connor. He stands up from a crouched position near the fence to the side of the porch. After wiping his finger on his coat, he comes to stand next to me.

I make my way to the side of the house and peer through a broken wood plank that had previously boarded up a window. The inside of the house, from what I am able to see, has a wooden table and some chairs that surround it carelessly tossed to the side.

_Android was here and got up quickly?_

The side door next to the broken wooden plank is unlocked, unlike the front door. I do a small hand wave to communicate to Connor that I need him to come this way. I twist the doorknob and walk inside. Dust particles float around my head and there's a strong smell of something rotten- my systems can't decide whether the aroma is from a human or animal corpse.

In the corner of the room stands a male android. There is a large, blue gash that goes across his face. His clothes are ragged, not new, and definitely not from a dry cleaner. I recognize this android as a WR600.

"We're looking for an AX400. Have you seen it?" Connor quizzes.

Anxiously, the WR600 bursts into speech. "Ralph's seen nobody. Nobody at all. Nope." Yet, the trusty LED light is the color of a guilty child when caught in a fib. Red.

"Are there any other androids here?"

"Other androids?" The android- Ralph- wrings his hands nervously. "No. Ralph is alone."

When I take a step in advance towards the jittery WR600, Connor stops me. "Don't be afraid. We're not going to hurt you."

I appreciate the words of reassurance from Connor to Ralph, but we are on a tight schedule. "There was blue blood on the fence. We know another android was here."

"Ralph scratched himself coming through. That's Ralph's blood."

Of course, I don't believe him, but I'll act as if I do. I begin searching cupboards and small nooks in the space around us, measuring Ralph's stress level all the while. As I am searching, I come across the words 'I AM ALIVE' etched on a wall near a window with dirty, broken glass. An image pops into my memory base on the scene information I had received from Connor. Carlos Ortiz's android had written those same words in blood above his owner's dead body.

>RALPH'S STRESS LEVEL: 50%<

There are a few thumps as Connor walks the first three steps up the stairs. "Is anyone upstairs?"

"No. Nobody."

>RALPH'S STRESS LEVEL: 70%<

I take a brief look between Connor and Ralph before bending down to pull back the short curtain that hands off the edge of the stairs near the bottom.

Ralph scoops his arms under my armpits and pulls me back sharply and suddenly, taking me off balance. "Run! Quick! KARA!" The AX400 and a little girl dart out from underneath the stairs and out the door. Connor heads for Ralph and me first, punching the android in the face to take him off of me.

"What are you doing? We have a mission!" I remind myself to criticize him later before I turn on my heel and race out the door.

Hank is outside as he sees the android and girl run past them and around a wall. "Connor! Evie! What's going on?"

"That's it, Lieutenant! Call it in!" I hear Connor shout as I turn around the corner as well.

My feet strategically collide with the ground on each step. They're headed in the direction of the train station. There is one objective and one objective only in my programmed mission right now; catch the deviant. From behind me, Connor is gaining speed to catch up with me and Hank has somehow managed to break into a jog.

"They went that way!" An officer says, pointing towards the highway.

I see Kara and the little girl pulling themselves up and over the fence. Connor and I make it to the fence that blocks off the busy highway. 

When the two runaways land on the other side, the AX400 makes eye contact with me for a split second before a policeman holds up his gun and aims it at Kara's head.

"Don't shoot, we need it alive!" Connor yells at the policeman and he quickly lowers his gun.

The deviant and young girl hop over the rails of the highway and move directly into oncoming traffic as Hank finally catches up to us, resting his hands on his knees. "Aw, fuck! That's insane."

I watch intently as the two dodge and weave through the cars hurtling past on the road.

_Do not fail your mission._

Connor and I share a look of understanding as we both reach up to climb over the fence as well.

"Hey! Where do you two think you're going?" Hank grabs my shoulder, urging me to listen to him and stay down.

"I can't let them get away."

"They won't! They'll never make it to the other side." Hank leans against the chainlink fence, still attempting to catch his breath.

"I can't take that chance!" I bring my foot up, prepared to fling myself over, but two pairs of hands hold me back this time. Connor's touch is soft and begging whilst Hank's is angry and desperate.

"HEY! You will get yourself killed!" Hank raises his voice. I know he is viewing this from a human perspective, and yes, technically I have a 57% chance of failing and being hit by a car. I cannot be replaced like the Connor model, but I also cannot fail to do my job. "Do NOT go after them, Evie, and that's an order!"

I hesitate for a single moment. A moment upon many that could've changed the outcome of many things. But in this hesitancy, I am not questioning whether or not I should listen to Hank. I'm questioning whether or not I'm willing to die for this case.

I push off their hands and jump to the ground on the other side, landing with a graceful roll.

>SOFTWARE INSTABILITY \/<

"GOD FUCKIN' DAMNIT, EVIE!"

I make it to the rail and leap over. The road is slick with rainwater and hard to gain traction on, but I slide underneath a moving car and dodge another one. Meeting up with Kara and the other girl in the middle, I grab the deviant's jacket and force her backward just as she pushes the girl safely to the other side before a semi-truck takes her out. Kara elbows me in the face and somehow survives to the middle lane. I recover quickly and make a move to go after her, only I calculate wrong and a passing car hits my shoulder, spinning me off balance. I roll to my left, avoiding the set of wheels that zooms past on my right.

"Let us go!" Kara cries out, anguish filling her voice.

"I have my orders!" As soon as the words leave my mouth, I second guess myself. Hank had told me my orders were to stay back with him and Connor and I had stubbornly disobeyed him.

My hand shoots out like a deadly snake, fingers wrapping around Kara's ankle and pulling her to the ground. The little girl screams as if a limb of hers had just been cut off.

"KARA!"

We tumble back and forth on the ground for a few seconds, somehow avoiding being crushed by rubber wheels, and eventually make it back to standing positions. Cars now swerve out of the way to narrowly avoid hitting us.

I swing my arm up and uppercut her square in the jaw. She stumbles back a few steps, the wind of a passing car almost tipping her over to face her death, but she regains enough balance to kick me in the chest. My feet lose connection with the ground and my back slams into the halfway rails between the two larger lanes. I almost- almost- don't notice that Kara's kick was timed to make sure I wasn't killed.

A car rushes by, splashing up water, spraying both me and the other two. Kara and I connect eyes once again. Something inside me- something that doesn't feel like my coding- causes me to stay in my place, unmoving and no longer so set or certain on my mission. Kara's eyes are filled with love and passion and everything that I see all around me in the world. In a way, they remind me of Connor's eyes.

Kara breaks the contact and lifts the little girl over the rail as well as herself. Then, just like that, she's gone.

Now that there's no longer a subject needing to be chased and brought down, I am able to hear Hank shouting quite angrily at me from the fence. Connor is still; watching and waiting for me to come back.

"What the hell are you doing? Get back here, ya piece of plastic!" Hank waves his hand in a way that one would wave their hand to summon a dog to them.

I find myself in a bit of a state of shock. I should've kept chasing Kara. If I had, I would've even had a chance of catching her. I am... angry at myself? I'm unsure.

>SOFTWARE INSTABILITY /\<

From now on, I plan on finishing my mission, no matter what.


	4. Human Unpredictability

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Connor is still ridiculously sympathetic for an android. Meanwhile, Evie is struggling with choosing between her mission and her partners' values. However, another deviant case is in and ready to be investigated.

An hour after the encounter and escape of the AX400 and the little girl, I am reviewing the case in my head as Hank drives me and Connor in his rusty old car to pick up the food he referred to as 'good shit'.

One thing I notice now but did not recognize before about the young girl traveling with Kara is that she is also an android. She's a YK500 child model, designed to act in place of children, typically used for people who are unable to have kids or need company but do not wish to go through the pain of childbirth. Todd Williams reported that he lived alone, but when I search through my records, he purchased the YK500 back in 2036, which correlates with the time his wife left him and took his only daughter with her. In addition to this, Todd Williams has been diagnosed with BPD, and this could be responsible for some unpleasant mood changes. All of this data tied together tells me that the Williams' residence was not what you would call a 'happy home'. A possible motive for the AX400 to take the YK500 and leave.

Hank parallel parks across the street from a food truck that has a big 'Chicken Feed' light up sign. He turns off the radio and promptly gets out of his car, the door squeaking.

"Woah, woah, hey hey!" Hank calls out as a car barely stops for him to cross the street. Hank is a fascinating human to be assigned such complex cases.

"You didn't obey Anderson's orders," states Connor, looking out of the open window distantly. "Why did you not obey orders?"

"My mission is more important than Anderson's wishes. Although I've been instructed to listen to what the Lieutenant says, I also value my own goals that Cyberlife has set for me." I _am_ telling the truth, technically. Maybe I would've been better off doing as I was told by the human, though.

_No. That can't be right. When orders conflict, I must follow the higher power._

"Back in the old house, why did you try and help me first before heading after the deviant? I can handle myself, just as I'm designed to," I say, flipping the conversation on to Connor.

"I understand, Evie. It was an attempt to gain your trust since we will be working together for a decent amount of time." Connor's head turns to look at me through the rearview mirror.

His explanation only confuses me. Gain my trust? We are both machines; meant to adapt to humans, not each other. We are greater than that.

"I am an android. There is no need for 'trust' in a relationship if it does not exist. Try not to do that again, or the Amanda program may not take it kindly," I say coldly. This is the first time I am referencing the program we both have in our heads. A program implanted in our 'brains' as an anti-deviant regular check-up. Similar to how virus protection is needed on a device. After cases, we are meant to check into our mind palace and speak to Amanda.

Connor does not speak for a few moments. I sense I've put him off in some way.

"We need to follow Hank." Connor gets out of the car, leaving me. I get out as well and walk across the street to stand next to Hank and Connor.

>HANK: INDIFFERENT<

I scan the area around me, as usual. I take a look at the license displayed on the front of the setup;  
 **Expire Date: 5/20/2031**

I do a background check on the man with whom Hank is chatting with.  
 **AABDAR, PEDRO**  
 **Born: 01/25/2005 // Unemployed**  
 **Criminal Record: Illegal Gambling**

Why is my partner, a trained cop, speaking to someone with a criminal record? Is he aware?

The man actually working the food truck has a questionable background as well.  
 **KAYES, GARY**  
 **Born: 12/03/1988 // Business Owner**  
 **Criminal Record: Resisting Arrest, breach of hygiene regulations**

Pedro Aabdar gets something from Hank, but I am too late to see what he gave. My only hint is Pedro's "Hey, you won't regret this," before he jogs away lightly.

Hank must've noticed Connor and I's presence because he moves his head from side to side. "What is ya'll's problem? Don't you ever do as your told. I remember saying stay in the car." He sighs. "Look, you don't have to follow me around like lost puppies."

"I'm sorry for our behavior back at the police station," voices Connor. "Evie didn't mean to be unpleasant."

If it was in my natural programming to scoff, I would've. I do not have to apologize for urging Anderson to actually do his job.

Either way, this seems to make Hank feel better. "Oh, wow. You've even got a brown-nosing apology program. Guys at Cyberlife thought of everything, huh?" He shoves his hands into his pockets.

>HANK: PARTNER /\<

Gary Kayes, the food truck worker, hands Hank his very greasy and unhealthy food along with an even unhealthier drink, full of calories in all the wrong ways. This is no way to fuel the body of a cop. Or anyone, really. I ponder over whether Hank cares about what he puts into his body. I would guess no, but I plan to make him aware of his bad eating habits anyway.

"Here ya go." Gary wipes his forehead off, and I can visibly see a grease stain.

"Ah. Thanks, Gary, I'm starving." Hank nods politely and strolls over to the only table set out with an umbrella covering.

"Don't leave those things here!" complains Gary, evidently talking about Connor and me.

"Huh, not a chance! They follow me everywhere."

Connor and I, as predicted, meet him over at the table. "See," Hank proves.

"I don't want to alarm you, Lieutenant, but I think your friends are engaged in illegal activities," I inform, but I receive no reaction other than Hank taking a bite out of his large-sized hamburger.

He chews, swallows, and opens his mouth to talk back. "Everybody does what they have to. To get by." Reasonable. But this doesn't mean Hank has to conspire with those types of people. "Long as they're not hurting anybody, I don't bother 'em." Another bite. I leave it alone.

"Your meal contains 1.4 times the recommended daily intake of calories and twice the cholesterol level." I'm glad Connor was the one to say something and not me. "You shouldn't eat that."

"Everybody's gotta die of something."

This is weird. Don't all humans wish to live? They are, after all, life itself.

"This morning, when we were chasing those deviants, why didn't you want me to cross the highway?" I watch Hank's body language. He's in the right mood to actually answer my questions honestly.

"Cause you could've been killed!" He says it as if it's the most obvious thing. As if a human would be concerned for the safety of an android. "And I don't like filling out paperwork for damaged equipment," he adds. This makes a lot more sense to me. It would be an inconvenience.

Connor and I let Hank eat in peace for a few minutes. Then, Connor, being the android he is, tries warming up to Anderson again.

"Is there anything you'd like to know about me?"

"Hell no... Well, yeah. Um. Why do they make you look so goofy and give you that weird voice?" Usually, this would be an insult, but Hank's tone is fun and playful.

"Cyberlife androids are designed to work harmoniously with humans. Both my appearance and voice were specifically designed to facilitate my integration. Evie's model is even more fitted for that." I glance at Connor and see a smug expression on his face. I almost- again, if I could- roll my eyes.

"Well, they fucked up," Hank says.

I rub my hands together and lean my elbows on the table, mirroring Connor's position unintentionally. "Can I ask you a personal question, Lieutenant?"

Hank dips his head once.

"Why do you hate androids so much?"

"I have my reasons." There's a dark undertone to his reply. He is not ready to share yet.

"Maybe I should tell you what Evie and I know about the deviants." Connor cuts through the tension, showing off his ability to adapt to human unpredictability.

"You read my mind. Proceed."

"We believe that a mutation occurs in the software of some androids, which can lead to them emulating a human emotion."

Hank finishes taking a sip from his carbonated drink. "In English, please."

"They don't really _feel_ emotions, they just get overwhelmed by irrational instructions-" I know that this statement isn't wrong, but some small, distant system in my android database tells me it is. "-which can lead to unpredictable behavior."

"Emotions always screw everything up." Hank sounds like he's speaking from his own experience. "Maybe androids aren't as different from us as we thought."

"That is incorrect. An android's system failing to do as it's supposed to is much different from a human reaction to different things," I tell Hank informatively.

"Okay, then maybe I am wrong. I've never met a human as big of a prick as you." Hank's eyes roll and he continues on his own subject. "You two ever dealt with deviants before?"

"I have not. My missions with you two are my first since I am such a new prototype." I answer before Connor can since I know he has and won't fail to remind me he knows more.

Yet Connor's eyes are not filled with triumph, but rather with something more serious. "A few months back... A deviant was threatening to jump off the roof with a little girl. I managed to save her." Something tells me the deviant did not have the same happy ending.

"So I guess you two have done all your homework, right?" Hank looks tired as if he's suddenly aged a few years. "Know everything there is to know about me?"

"We know you graduated top of your class. You made a name for yourself in several cases, and became the youngest lieutenant in Detroit." I decide being honest is what's needed here. "I also know you've received several disciplinary warnings in recent years and... you spend a lot of time in bars." Connor told me about how his first interaction with Hank was in a low-class bar downtown.

"So what's your conclusion?"

I contemplate this momentarily. "I think working with an officer with... personal issues... is an added challenge."

"But adapting to human unpredictability _is_ one of our features," Connor cuts in with a wink. I actually do roll my eyes somehow, someway, this time and this brings a laugh out of Hank. His laugh is filled to the brim with happiness that I have not seen from him yet. I feel a sense of pride in myself for being able to do that for Hank.

>HANK: PARTNER /\<

>SOFTWARE INSTABILITY /\<

Suddenly, Connor and I's LED lights both blink rapidly in sync. "We just got a report of a suspected deviant."

"It's a few blocks away. We should go have a look," I suggest, my mind still set on my job.

"We'll let you finish your meal. We'll be in the car if you need us," says Connor, implying that he wants me to come with him. I walk back to Hank's old-style car with Connor and get inside.

Cases are rolling in more quickly than I had predicted.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much for reading. I plan to be updating every other day, and if not, then every week. This is also my first story on ao3, so if you have any advice, let me know.


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